Power supply equipment for submarine cables



May 22, 1962 Filed June l, 1959 United States This invention relates to power supply equipment and a method for feeding a constant direct current to a submarine cable for the purpose of energising submerged repeaters. More particularly it is concerned with the operation of power supply yunits in series at one or both ends of the cable.

Dilicultes are expected to a rise in known D.C. power feed systems for long submarine cables situated near the Arctic and Antarctic circles (more precisely, near the socalled auroral belts where the maximum current flow in the ionosphere occurs and where the greatest disturbances of earth voltage due to magnetic storms are also experienced.)

These differences in earth voltage can be comparable with but somewhat smaller than the voltage required for power feed purposes. Under these circumstances the voltage required for the operation of the system becomes very variable and, as will be shown later, the greatest danger to the submerged equipment exists when the supply voltage happens to be low and not when it happens to be high.

An examination of the characteristics of known D.C. power feed systems indicates that the effects of magnetic Storms have not been considered in full and systems of improved performance are required in the following aspects:

(a) The terminal station entrusted with the supervision of the system must be able to observe all the voltage variations (positive or negative) due to magnetic storms whereas the voltage at the far end must be held constant over a small range of current. The latter requirement is at present only partially fuliilled.

(b) When the power unit fails at either end of the cable the voltage of the remaining unit or units in series with it must increase so that the -total voltage supplied by that station remains unchanged, ie., the failure of a unit must be compensated for by another unit in the same station.

(c) In the event of the complete failure of power supply at one terminal station, the other station must take over the entire load.

(d) It must be possible `to know when a power supply unit has failed, even if its normal supply voltage may be varying over a very wide range.

(e) The mechanism which provides the solution to the above problems, must not itself introduce any additional hazards.

According to the invention direct current power supply equipment for submarine cables comprises a plurality of series-connected primary constant current generators or direct current sources such as controlled rectiiers and one or more auxiliary constant current generators, wherein each of said auxiliary constant current generators is associated with one or more of said primary generators and is effective to stabilise the operating voltage of its associated primary generator or generators.

Preferably each of the auxiliary generators is adjusted to have an accurately predetermined maximum voltage limit which is independent of power mains variation.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention an auxiliary generator is associated with and connected in parallel with each of the primary generators and an auxiliary generator is connected in parallel across the plurality of seriesconnected primary generators.

` arent ice 4In the power supply equipment of the present invention the auxiliary generators are arranged in such manner that they feed current into the main power feed path only when the voltage between the points at which they are connected falls below a predetermined critical voltage.

If desired each of said auxiliary generators may be provided with alarm means, said alarm means being operable when its associated auxiliary generator is operating below its predetermined critical voltage.

Further features of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following description.

It is proposed to refer to the auxiliary power units by the name of not-less-than circuits, since that describes their function, namely to ensure that the voltage of the main power unit or group or units with which they are associated fuliills the following requirements:

(a) Over a small range of current the voltage has some accurately predetermined value.

(b) For a current slightly less than the current range mentioned in (a), the voltage may be higher by any arbitrary amount. Under these circumstances the auxiliary circuit gives no alarm, as this is a normal occurrence. (Separate precautions are taken to ensure that an excessive voltage is not applied to the cable.)

(c) For a current slightly more than the range mentioned in (a) the voltage will be less than the predetermined value. An alarm is given under these circumstances.

(d) If the main unit fails to deliver a voltage at least equal to the critical value, an alarm is given.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a circuit diagram of an orthodox earthreturn submarine cable installation provided with repeaters and a double-end power feed system for those repeaters; and

FIGURE 2 is a circuit diagram of direct current power supply equipment for an installation as shown in FIG- URE 1 but according to the present invention.

In FIGURE l a submarine cable 1 containing submerged repeaters 2 is to be supplied with power at terminal stations A and B. At A there is a constant current power supply 3 which supplies a positive voltage to the submarine cable with respect to local earth. At end B there is a similar power supply 4 which provides a negative voltage with respect to local earth. The earth connections must not be considered as being at the same potential but can be represented by a wire 5 in which a source of potential 6 (shown as a battery) is introduced. It is to be understood that the origin of the sources of potential is geomagnetic in character, comparable with but smaller than the total feed voltage yrequired for the cable and capable of changing its polarity at fairly long intervals.

Suppose that the total feed voltage required is for example 2000 v. and the voltage of 6 is $1000 v.; suppose that the voltage at end B is kept constant at 1000 V. wherethat at end A (supervising station) is allowed to vary so as to keep the current -ilowing through the cable at its specified value. Under the circumstances mentioned, i.e., i and 6 are each of 1000 v., it will be apparent that A will be required to produce no voltage at all. This is a dangerous condition since an accidental open circuit in the system would result in the supply voltage A rising from zero to 2000 v. which would be added to the earth voltage so that the total voltage appearing between the break and earth would in this example be 3000 v. It is thus valuable to know when the voltage at the A end falls to a low value since this may necessitate a decision to shut down the system. If the polarity of 6 reverses itself A will have to supply 2000 v. in order to maintain the current. It will be noted that this is evidently the most desirable distribution of voltages between the ends of the cable, because A will then vary over the useful portion of its characteristic (it must be capable of supplying 2000 v. for single-end power feed in the cable is 380 ma. Of the 2O ma. output from auxiliary generator 1C, 12 Vrn.a. will be shunted through the voltage stabilizing device Vt and 8 ma. will flow through the rectifier X to the cable. The whole of the and it could hardly produce a negative. voltage). It y5 20 ma. output `from auxiliary generator D will ybe shuntn the voltage ofB is allowed to varyk at random there ed through the voltage stabilizing device V1. Of the will be even Wider variations of voltage. at A. 20 ma. output from auxiliary generator E,"l8 rna. will twill :be quite obvious from the abovethat thisleads be Shuhed through the Volago StabiliZihgfdoi/CC V2 and to some rather complicated requirements with regardv to 2 ma. will iiowthrough the rectifier Z to the cable. alarm circuits, and in lrespect of the procedure to be 10 It will be seen that if the units L and M together sup-r adopted it each station includes two or more power feedply a voltage greater' than Vt the rectifier VX will become ing units in series, one of which may possibly fail. non-conducting, and the whole of the output of C will ow Referring now to FIGURE 2, this shows power supply into the neons of the stabilizing deviceVt. But if the equipment indicated generally Yby Hlin FIGURE 1 and load tends to rise above 380 m.a. the voltages of L and M located at the supervisedstation end B of the cable..V l5 will both fall until the rectifier X conducts once more.

The power supply equipment includes series connected Hence the total voltage supplied by units L and M will power supply units L and M intended each to supply a be accurately stabilized at Vt. Y constant current of 370 ma. but in factsupplying, owing Of the two auxiliary generators D and E, vonly one will to manufacturing tolerances, 372 mia. and 370 ma. rein general be operative, namely that connected `across' spectively. The output from supply unit L is connected the unit which is stabilised at .the lower current,V in kthis across opposite corners of a single phase, full wave, case M. The current supplied by E into the main power bridge-type rectifier RL, and the koutput from supply unit feed circuit will be the diiierence between the settings of M is connected across opposite corners of a singlephase, L and M, in this case 2 m.a. The reason will be similar full wave, bridge-type rectilier RM. vThe series circuit to that stated above, namely v.that if thevoltag'evof M is formed by connections between earth E and one outexceeds V2 the rectifier Z will become non-conducting put corners of rectifier RM, between output corners of and the current through M Will'rise to 372"m.a. Under I rectifiers RM and RL, and the second outputcorner of these circumstances the voltage of M will drop :until Z rectifier RL and the cable. conducts once more.

An auxiliary constant current generator C vgivingan.v The voltage of L will exceed V1 since Vt is greater output of Z0 ma. has one output terminal connected to 30 than I/l-i-VZ and the combined voltages of the Vtwo the earth E and the other output terminal connected Y. power units must be Vt. through a rectifier X to the cable. A voltage .stabiliz- Supposey that the power unit L fails and its voltage ing device Vt consisting of a series of neon tubes is condrops to zero. Its output rectifier will continue to 'connected across the output of the generator C and is adaptduct the feed current which will `fall from 372'=m.a. to 350` ed to shunt that generator to a variable extent to mainma., an additional 20` m.a. 'flowing through unit D land tain its output voltage substantially constant at a voltage rectifier Y. Unit D will thus vbe operating under short Vt equal to thatwhich it is desired to maintain between circuitconditions. earth and cable. An automatic alarm ARt has its oper- The current through unit M will yremain at 37() m.a. ating coil arranged to carry the current through the debut rectifier Z will become non-conducting. The voltvice Vf, 40 age ot M will rise to Vt and current through rectifier X The combination of auxiliary currentV generator C, will increase to l0 ma. rectiiier X and stabilizingdevice Vt forms a stabilizing The requirement stated in (b) Vabove is thus fulfilled, circuit connected between earth and cable. Two similar i.e. the failure of unit. L is compensated for, by'increase stabilizing circuits are connected respectively across the in the voltage of unit M, so total Voltage Vapplied to the output from the rectitier RL and the outputfrom-the reccable remains unchanged at Vt. tiiier RM. Thus a constant current generator D giving Because. the voltage. of unit D is reduced `to yzero. thev an output of 20 ma. is connected-directly to one output Y neon vlamps which stabilise the voltage V1 will be'excorner of the rectifier RL and through a rectifier Y to the tinguished and the current passiugthroughlthe `alarm resecond output corner of the rectifier RL, a voltage-,stalay ARlwill fall to zero.v VThis gives an indicationlthat bilizing device Vfl Ibeing connected across the generaunit L has failed. j y tor D and an automatic alarm device ARl having its It will be noticed that if any one of the auxiliary units ;V operating Vcoil arranged to carry the current through `de- C, D, or E fails the performance of thev system will be' vice VL ln a similar manner, a constantV currentY genf practically unaltered.l vThus ifV unit C fails the voltage aperator E giving an output of Z0 rn.a. is connected directly plied to the cable will vfall slightly from Vt toV'l-l-VZ to one output corner of the rectifier RM and through which is only slightly less than Vr.v a rectier Z to the second output corner ot the `rectifier If unit D failsthere will be no change lwhatever be- RM o Voltage SahlZhg device V2 being Connected cause it is not operative, whereas ifunit E fails thevoltacross 4the Vvgenerator E and an automatic alarm `device age of unit M will decrease `and ythat of L will increase', ARZ having its operating coil arranged to carry thecurthus maintaining voltage Vt constant.V f Y l rent through device V2. This fulfills the requirements of (e) above;

The `S'ahZod voltages of the devices Val and V231@ If the power unit at the far end A failsthe current :in` equal and are thus each equal to or less than half of the cable win drop nomas() first n.372 ma., at the stabilized voltage Vt, although the voltages of V11 f which point the rectifier X vwill Ab ecomenon-conducting y and V2 maybe selected otherwise as long as their sum and the voltage at unit L will start to increase. When it Y equals or is less than Vt. Y has increased to the maximum of which it is capable, the

The equipment shown in VFIGURE 2 is intended to current will fall to 370 m.a;, .whereupon rectifier Z will hold the cable to earth voltage at the cable end A conalso become non-conducting. Y The voltage of M will their;V stant .at the voltage Vt over a small range of current also start Ito increase until finally the voltage across; the.r variation, for example over the range 370 to 390 ma.; cable is built up to the 'value suchthatzsinglefend power i. for a current slightlyfin excess of 390 ma. the voltage feed has been established. VThis fullls the requirementsr will fall to zero, and for a current slightly below 37()Y of (c) above. v g v ma. the voltage would rise to the maximum Ypermitted The only difference between supervising;Y and supervised; by the .design of the equipment. stations, A and B respectively, is that in the case of the.v

On FIGURE 2 are indicated the currents which will former, the voltagesVl and Vlwouldhaveverysmall fiow'in the various components when the load current 75 values and the unit C would be omitted,unless it is used for alarm purposes only to indicate the presence of a magnetic storm. Under these conditions one or two units L or M will operate at a low value V1 or V2 whereas the other will supply nearly all the necessary voltage for the operation of the system, otherwise the equipment operates invery much the same way as for the supervised station B. It will also be obvious that the power units L, M, D or E may fail without causing an appreciable change in the system at all, ie., one of the units L or M will take over the supply from the other and an alarm will be given.

It will be seen that one of the advantages of the invention is thus to ensure that ,the voltage at the supervised station B remains accurately xed over a small range of currents, although the equipment at this station consists of a plurality of power feed units in series any one of which may fail.

A further advantage of the equipment described is that it indicates whether any of the units which together constitute the equipment has failed even though the entire equipment may on certain occasions be providing only a very small voltage. Further, if .the power supplies at one end of the cable fail completely additional Voltage becomes available at the opposite end to continue the supply on a single-end feed basis. Finally, if the cable develops an earth fault at any point, the current supplied by each end of the cable must still remain at a value reasonably close to the specified current.

What is claimed is:

1. A direct current power supply equipment for the repeaters of a submarine cable which comprises a irst primary constant current controlled rectifier, at least one additional primary constant current controlled rectifier connected in series with the first controlled rectifier to form a main power feed path, an auxiliary constant current controlled rectiier connected in parallel with at least one of 'the primary controlled rectiiers by connection between two points of the main power feed path, and means adapted to regulate the ilow of current from the auxiliary controlled rectier to the main power feed path to increase that current when the voltage between the two points falls below a predetermined critical value, whereby the operating voltage of the primary controlled rectifier connected in parallel with the auxiliary controlled rectiier is stabilized.

2. A direct current power supply equipment as claimed in claim l, in which the auxiliary controlled rectiier is adjusted to have an accurately predetermined maximum output voltage which is independent of voltage variations in the main power feed path.

3. A direct current power supply equipment as claimed in claim 2, in which there is an auxiliary controlled rectiier associated with and connected in parallel with each primary controlled rectifier and in which an auxiliary controlled rectiiier is connected in parallel with and across the plurality of series-connected primary controlled rectifiers.

4. A direct current power supply equipment as claimed in claim 3, in which each of said auxiliary controlled rectiiiers is provided with an alarm means, which operates when the output voltage of the associated auxiliary controlled rectier falls below a predetermined critical voltage.

5. A direct current power supply equipment arranged to supply power for the repeaters of a submarine cable and arranged to operate with an earth-return circuit, which comprises a fu'st primary constant current controlled rectifier, at least one Iadditional primary constant current controlled rectifier connected in series with the iirst controlled rectifier to form a main power feed path, an auxiliary constant current controlled rectifier conected in parallel with at least one of the primary controlled rectiliers by connection between two points of the main power feed path, and means adapted to regulate the flow of current from the auxiliary controlled rectifier -to the main power feed path to increase that current when the voltage between the two points falls below a predetermined critical Value, whereby the operating voltage of the primary controlled rectifier connected in parallel with the auxiliary controlled rectifier is stabilized.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,208,183 Alexanderson July 16, 1940 2,572,210 Spencer Oct. 23, 1951 2,594,019 Holman Apr. 22, 1952 2,778,954 Job et al. Jan. 22, 1957 

